Pinatubo route taken by tourists built without permit

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga , Philippines  – A Department of Tourism (DOT) official disclosed yesterday that a South Korean company developed the trail from Capas, Tarlac to Mt. Pinatubo that was used by foreign tourists that went to the volcano’s crater lake.

The tourists were swept by mudflows and floodwaters caused by rains brought by typhoon “Kiko” last Thursday that resulted in the death of three foreigners and two Filipinos.

Director Ronnie Tiotuico of the DOT regional office in Central Luzon said Korean investors who established the Pinatubo Development Corp. (PDC) developed the mountain route, dubbed as “Skyway” two years ago by in Barangay Sta. Juliana in Capas, Tarlac.

He said Skyway was built “without the necessary clearances from government agencies concerned such as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) or the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).”

Tiotuico said he did not expect Phivolcs to approve the Skyway, amid its earlier advisory declaring that “no other way except what nature has provided should be used for trekking” to Mt. Pinatubo’s crater lake which is being promoted by the government as a tourist destination.

He said Phivolcs recommended the “stream bed” of the O’Donnel River, which emanates from Mt. Pinatubo’s summit as the safest trail to the summit.

He said trekking to the volcano is supposed to be banned during rainy season since the river often over flow due to heavy rains.

Tiotuico lamented that the PDC promotes the Skyway as an “all season trail.”

No one from the PDC could be contacted, as its office in Barangay Sta. Juliana was closed yesterday.

Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Leon Nilo de la Cruz said and investigation id being conducted o determine the liability of Capas local officials for negligence after they allegedly allowed the tourists to climb to Mt. Pinatubo despite the typhoon.

The storm dumped heavy rains that caused mudflows at the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo that swept the three jeeps of the tourists that killed three foreigners and two Filipinos.

The fatalities were identified as French tourists Martine Cholet, a female, and Thierry Chailot, Belgian Walter Steylian, barangay tanod Fidel Reila and tourist guide Orlando Fernando.

Search and rescue teams recovered five French and three South Korean tourists.

The tourists and their Filipino guides have registered with the PDC, which gave them the permit to drive to the summit of Mt. Pinatubo on board three four-wheel drive jeeps provided by the Angeles 4x4 Club.

“Going up by the streambed requires one hour drive and two hours of walking to reach the summit. The Skyway required only a one-hour drive and 30 minutes of walking towards the crater lake,” Tiotuico said, but the new trail lacks safety features such as signs at dangerous turns.

He said that there were several accidents recorded in the past at the Skyway but no deaths were reported until last Thursday.

Lt. Col. Jose Caparas, commander of the Army’s 3rd Mechanized Battalion under the Light Armor Division based in Tarlac, lamented the unauthorized intervention by the PDC is the search and rescue operations for the tourists last Thursday.

Caparas, who headed the Army rescue team, said confusion arose during the operations as the PDC failed to coordinate with government rescue teams and tried to lead the operations.

He said PDC officials apparently sent instructions to the group of tourists through a handheld radio of one of the Filipino guides while the group were stranded at the slope of Mt. Pinatubo.

“I am glad they (tourists) were safe, but my point is that such rescue missions must be systematic and coordinated. If any untoward thing happened to these tourists who survived, my unit would be blamed,” he said.

Capas Mayor Rey Catacutan, who earlier said Philippine Air Force (PAF) unit stationed at the Crow Valley at the foot of Mt. Pinatubo should have been prevented the tourists from trekking to Mt. Pinatubo, clarified that he was “not really blaming” the Air Force for the tragedy.

“The fact is I even plan to formally honor a certain Lt. Layan who was injured during the rescue operations,” he said.

Good Samaritan  at Mt. Pinatubo

Tiotuico said he is also interested in identifying the Good Samaritan who owned the hut where the stranded tourists stayed on the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo Thursday night. He said the hut owner gave the tourists warm soup and dried clothes and hosted them overnight.

He said a resident also allowed the tourists to ride a carabao-drawn cart to cross the O’Donnel River the following day.

One of the French survivors Helene Radjou told Tiotuico that they met the unidentified resident who gave them refuge in his hut.

The other French survivors include Beatrice Le Guvader, Dudier Bazin, Philippe Navarre, Philippe Guinebert, and Marie France Fouchard and South Koreans Han Chung, Xang Hua and Han Sany.

The tourists stayed in the hut and crossed the river on a cart before they reached Barangay Sta. Juliana.

The five French tourists who survived the flashfloods at Mt. Pinatubo are departing for home today but have expressed their desire to return to the country despite their tragic experience.

Radjou said some of her companions intend to return to the Philippines again and resume their previous plan to visit other tourist spots.

She said they planned to visit Palawan but failed to do so because of the accident last Aug. 6.

Other casualties in the incident were local barangay tanod Fidel Reyla and tour guide Orlando Fernando who died while on a search and rescue operations Thursday night.

The tourists arrived in the country last Aug. 1 and they planned to visit Palawan after the Mt. Pinatubo trek.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano said the five survivors are returning home today but one of their companions Philippe Guinebert is still confined at Medical City in Pasig due to injuries sustained during the accident.

Durano said French Embassy Consul Arnaut Rayar visited the survivors at Medical City and expressed gratitude to the rescuers most especially to the residents who provided shelter to the group.

Tiotiuco reported that when the DOT was managing the Mt. Pinatubo trek, there is a strict policy of issuing permits to the guides before proceeding to the crater.

“We never allowed tourists to go with even the slightest weather disturbance,” Tiotiuco stressed.

The administration of the Pinatubo tour has been handed over by the DOT to the local government in 2005.

Meanwhile, Zambales Gov. Amor Deloso expected more than 10,000 residents to stay longer in seven evacuation centers in Botolan town after most of the houses in the affected barangays were half-buried in mud that was carried by floodwaters.

The affected Botolan barangays include San Juan, Paudpod, Baton Lapok, Karael, Pako, San Miguel, Tampo, Beneg, Kapagawan and Bangan.

He said that only 27 houses in these barangays were destroyed by the floodwaters from the Bucao River while most of the remaining houses are half-buried in mud.

“We already have an initial P3 million from calamity fund for their basic needs such as food, slippers, mosquito nets and other items. I think we have enough friends to help us in this,” he said.

Deloso also urged government engineers to immediately construct a footbridge and a semi-permanent bridge to connect the five northern towns isolated by the damaged portion of an old bridge of the national highway in Barangay Karael.

The damaged bridge and highway isolated from the southern part of Zambales the towns of Iba, Palauig, Masinloc, Candelaria and Sta. Cruz.

Ano alternate route via Tarlac and Pangasinan would add four hours to the travel time Central Luzon to the northern Zambales towns.         – With Mayen Jaymalin